‘The collapse of BHS into administration left 11,000 employees facing an uncertain future and 20,000 current and future pensioners facing substantial cuts to their entitlements. According to the Work and Pensions Select Committee, BHS encapsulates many of its ongoing concerns about the regulatory and cultural framework in which business operates, including the ethics of business behaviour, the governance of private companies, the balance between risk and reward, mergers and acquisitions practices, the governance and regulation of workplace pension schemes, and the sustainability of defined benefit pensions.’

‘The Pensions Regulator has begun enforcement action against a number of parties including Sir Philip Green after failing to reach a deal to plug BHS’s £571m pension deficit. In a dramatic development, the regulator, which has been in talks with Sir Philip and his Taveta group of companies over the retailer’s pension fund since BHS collapsed in late April, issued a warning notice to the Top Shop entrepreneur setting out why it believes he is liable to support the scheme.’

‘The complainant was a teacher and a member of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme. In November 2009 the pension scheme’s administrator wrote to the complainant seeking recovery of pension overpayments in respect of each year since 2002. The complainant made a complaint to the Pensions Ombudsman, pursuant to Part X of the Pension Schemes Act 1993, in which he took a limitation defence. The administrator wrote to the ombudsman in December 2011, indicating it opposed the complaint. The ombudsman went on to reject the complainant’s limitation defence. On his appeal, the High Court held that the complainant had a limitation defence for the recovery of any overpayments made more than six years before the relevant date when the limitation period was to be regarded as having stopped. On a further determination, the ombudsman held that the relevant cut off date for the purposes of limitation was that of the November 2009 letter, namely, the date of an unequivocal demand.’

‘A borough council has won an appeal in the First-tier Tribunal against a decision notice of the Information Commissioner requiring disclosure of information relating to payroll and pension services provided by the authority to schools.’

‘George Osborne’s pension reforms will backfire and end up costing the taxpayer billions of pounds more every year as people stop saving for their retirement, the official Treasury watchdog has warned.’

‘British Gurkha Welfare Society and others v. The United Kingdom, Application no. 44818/11. The Court has rejected claims that the cut-off scheme for British Gurkha pensions was in violation of Article 14 in conjunction with Article 1 of Protocol 1, but leaves open space for future proceedings.’

‘The case of a 68-year-old transgender woman who was refused the female state pension at the age of 60 because she chose to stay married has been referred by the supreme court to judges in Europe “for their guidance”.’